Alcohol Saturdays
by HappiGoLucki616
Summary: COMPLETE! Draco was up at the Astronomy Tower during his usual ritual when she walked in. She never forgot those Saturdays, but it seemed he had. Until one day...years later. ONE SHOT! DHr


**Summary: Draco was up at the ****Astronomy********Tower**** during his usual ritual when she walked in. And that's when it had occurred. She never forgot those Saturdays, but it seemed he had. Until one day…years later. ONE SHOT! D/Hr**

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**Alcohol Saturdays**

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He looked around and took another sip as he was lost in a world of happiness that the drink brought him.

After that stupid Harry Potter had ratted his father out Lucius had been sent to Azkaban. His mother had lost all her sanity and had killed herself in a wave of panic. Draco had nothing else to go to except for the drinks provided at the bar.

The bar…

The first time he had been to a bar was with his father. Lucius hated bars but every once in a while he went to one to forget about all his surroundings. And Draco had picked up the habit. 

Every Saturday he would escape from the claws of Pansy and the grumbling and mumbling of Crabbe and Goyle up to the Astronomy Tower. There he would take out a hidden stash of drinks he had borrowed. Well, actually, he had stolen them. He had been able to sneak into the bar and steal beverages quite easily so that had become his supply room. 

One Saturday, as he took another sip of the beverage, he heard footsteps. They were long, graceful footsteps that could belong to none other than the school's Head Girl, Hermione Granger. He made no movement to escape or stash his beverage. He sat still and waited for her arrival.

Hermione walked in gingerly and looked around the room. Instantly her gaze fell upon Draco Malfoy with his alcoholic drink grasped weakly.

"Malfoy?" she asked as she stepped closer to the figure cloaked in black from the darkness of the night sky. 

"What do you want, Hermione?" he asked drunkenly. Hermione paused in her step. Had he just called her Hermione?

"You sound drunk," she commented as she hesitantly took a step closer to him.

"You look gorgeous tonight," Draco complimented. Hermione froze and drunk in what he had just said.

Hermione had truly changed over the years. Her bushy hair had died down to a thin, wavy texture that she had in a high ponytail except for her bangs which she kept pushed to the right side of her face. She had matured quite quickly and had gained quite the eye-popping cleavage. But no one had ever commented on her. 

Until now.

"You're drunk, Malfoy. You have no clue what you're saying! What are you doing here? Why are you drinking?" she asked. 

"What's it to you, Hermione? No one cares anymore. And I wouldn't expect you to understand either so just leave me alone!" Draco shouted as he looked the other way out the window.

"It's so beautiful," he said suddenly after moments of silence.

"What?" Hermione asked as she pulled up a chair on the opposite side of the table cautiously.

"The birds. Their songs. No one listens to it anymore. It's seemed to have faded. But it's so beautiful; it tells a story of such marvel in the mere elevation or declination of the voice. It amazes me," Draco replied in a soft tone. 

Hermione listened. And he was right. They sounded beautiful as they sung together at night. And he was right. She had forgotten about the birds. They had just become a part of her day like the mud and the sun and water. She didn't pay attention to its importance, it was just _there_. But to see that Draco Malfoy, the cold-hearted Slytherin, paid attention to the birds…well that amazed her. Maybe he had a heart after all and now that his parents were gone he would open it to the world. 

"Yes, they do have a marvelous song," Hermione agreed as they both sat silent listening to the chirping outside the window.

When Hermione turned back around and faced Draco, he was gone. Hermione sighed, pushed out her chair, got up, and left the room in a daze.

^^^^^^^

Draco paid no heed to her even after the meeting. She wondered if any of his friends knew that he drank. Did wizards drink? Well, there was firewhiskey. But he had been drinking a _muggle_ drink. He hated muggles. Or maybe things changed now. She was dying to find out. She always believed that there was good in everyone, and now was her chance to prove it. 

The next Saturday Hermione heard some noise in the Astronomy Tower so she made her way up there.

He was there again.

"Hi," she said as she sat down next to him.

"Hello," Draco responded.

"You're drinking a muggle drink," she noted.

"So? They seem to have wonderful drinks. I misjudged them," he said. Hermione looked at the beverage. He hadn't drunk much, which was good. Maybe she'd get answers now. 

"So you don't hate muggles anymore? What happened?" Hermione pressed.

"I learned to appreciate things that have always been there. My father with all his wicked thoughts, he never let me think up my own comments and beliefs. He always installed them in me. But now I've changed," he responded as he took a sip.

"Mmm…I think that was wise of you, to try to change and find your own thoughts on people and life," Hermione said. She eyed the drink.

"Want some?" he asked. Hermione shook her head.

"That's bad for you. Why do you do it?" she asked. 

"It lets me forget everything. It sends me to a land of happiness. Just pure happiness," Draco said as he took another swig of the beverage.

"Your life isn't all that happy, is it? Being rich, popular, no one makes fun of you. That's not fun is it?" she asked sarcastically. 

"It sounds perfect, doesn't it? Yeah, I'm rich, but I lack the love of family that you have. Your parents care so much for you! My parents just want me to be the best at all costs! And yeah, I'm popular. But my friends are my friends because they are afraid to be my enemy. They aren't interesting at all and they fear me so they do anything I want them to do. They lack brains and it's really nerving. And no one makes fun of me because they're afraid of me and my father because he was a death eater. So it's all fear. All of it. Love…I don't have…I don't understand," Draco ended dazed. 

Hermione felt a pang of guilt go out for him. He was right. She stared at him helplessly and watched as she sipped the drink again. She felt like crying but held back the tears. She looked outside to listen to the birds. She had been doing that more often since he had mentioned it. 

"Have you ever realized that the air smells of what's around it? Hogwarts grounds smell like forest pine because of the Forbidden Forest and of flowers because of the gardens. It smells so heavenly," Draco said. Hermione thought about it. And again, he was right. She walked up to the window and inhaled the sweet, calming scent of the night air and the forest pine and flowery perfume. She listened to the birds. She inhaled the scent. She turned around to look at him.

But he was gone…again. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Draco seemed to pay a bit more attention to her. In the halls he smiled at her once. In the Great Hall he smiled again. But it wasn't a genuine smile. It was more of a smirk.

The third Saturday arrived.

Hermione walked into the room.

But it was empty.

She looked around then spotted another door and rushed to it and pulled it open. Draco sat leaning on a bathroom stall looking ill. Hermione rushed to him.

"What's the matter?" she asked worriedly. 

"Hangover. Drank too much," that was all he could say. He rushed inside the stall and threw up. Hermione watched and felt tears rush down her face.

She spent the rest of the night with Draco. 

The night rolled into the early morning and Draco and Hermione had to go to their dorms before their friends woke up and found out that they were missing. 

"Thanks," he said faintly. Then he leaned in and brushed his lips against her. Hermione felt butterflies crawl into her stomach at the faint touch of his lips against hers. They were so soft, so sweet.

Then he smiled…a genuine smile.

And he left. Hermione didn't see him on the next Saturday, or the next one, or the one after. He seemed to have disappeared from her life and from Hogwarts. His presence was faint and discreet. He no longer smiled at her when she saw him, or smirked.

 Then graduation came.

Hermione never saw him after graduation. 

But she never forgot those three Saturdays where she had found the good inside of Draco Malfoy.

~~~5 years later~~~

Twenty-two year old Hermione made her way to the tall Ministry of magic Building. But before she reached the door this Saturday, she paused.

She inhaled the scent of the square. Pollution. No forest pine. No flowers. She listened to the birds. But there was no song. It seemed everything had died.

She had been working here for the past four years and she was quite pleased with her position. Two years ago Harry Potter had defeated Voldemort and had become and Auror along with Ronald Weasley two years before that. 

She sat down at her desk and a bottle shimmed under her gaze. She got up and cautiously trailed her finger along the edge of the bottle. She remembered it from somewhere…somewhere…birds…flowers…Alcohol Saturdays. A little note was perched on it:

_I never forgot. I just wanted the heat to die down from the fall of the Dark Lord. Meet me at the nearest park. Don't forget to smell the flowers and listen to the birds. They're singing again._

Hermione quickly grabbed her coat, put it on, and fled out of the building and down the path to the park.

As she walked along the road she inhaled the sweet aroma of roses, and lavenders, and mint. She listened to the sound of the birds chirping…so merrily chirping.

He was seated on the bench…not a single alcoholic drink in sight. She sat down next to him.

They both smiled as they listened to the chirping birds and inhaled the scents of the flowers around them as they remembered those old alcohol Saturdays that had brought them so close.

And Draco gave a genuine smile. 

A/N- So, how did you like it? It took me like one hour to write! I hope you all enjoyed it! Tell me what you think in a review! Be it long or short or medium-sized! 

THANKS IN ADVANCE TO ALL THE REVIEWERS AND READERS!

Don't forget to listen to the birds and inhale the scent of the wonderful night air as you recall the tale of: Alcohol Saturdays!


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